GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Electric Air Fryer Review

If you haven’t yet discovered the GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Electric Air Fryer, you may be in for pleasant surprise. This air fryer gives you a 3.7 quart cooking capacity, timer, adjustable temperature with auto shut-off, and most other features you find on the much higher priced leading brand.

It ranks high for consumer satisfaction for producing good results, and it’s noted for being simple to use and easy to clean up. After reading all the details below, you may just decide that GoWISE offers all the features and performance you want in an airfryer, and you can get it at a cost that won’t strain your budget.

Note: This review applies to the GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Electric Air Fryer (3.7 QT) Model #GW22611 in Black
The white version of this model is no longer available. For white, please see the GoWISE USA 3.7-quart Air Fryer GW22640, a slightly newer model but extremely similar to the version in this review.

Features

3.7 Quart Capacity

Timer (up to 30 minutes)

Automatic Shut-off

Adjustable Temperature Control

8 Cooking Pre-sets

1500W – 120V, 60Hz

1 Year Limited Warranty on unit, 30 Day Limited Warranty on parts

As you can see, the GoWISE offers all of the best “bells & whistles”. Its timer includes an alert that will beep when the cooking cycle is complete, and then the unit will automatically shut itself off.

The manufacturer no longer states that the parts are dishwasher safe, but the cooking basket does have a non-stick coating that makes it easier to clean.

Note that the pot itself is not meant for cooking. If you plan to bake or cook liquid foods you’ll need to buy the baking pan, which is sold separately (see the baking pan under Optional Accessories below). For the most part the mesh basket is designed for solid foods. However, something like meatballs will also work fine, and the basket allows excess grease to drain off. Your food items just have to be firm enough to stick together and not sink down through the openings in the basket.

The digital control panel allows you to select the exact time and temperature settings you want, or for convenience you can use one of the 8 pre-sets. You can also first select a pre-set and then adjust either the time or the temperature up or down. The pre-programmed settings are:

Warm-up (for preheating the air fryer) – 5 minutes at 176°F

Chips (for all us Southerners, that’s “fries”) – 20 minutes at 392°F

Chicken – 25 minutes at 356°F

Steak – 15 minutes at 356°F

Shrimp – 20 minutes at 320°F

Meat – 20 minutes at 356°F

Cake – 30 minutes at 320°F

Fish – 20 minutes at 392°F

It’s always helpful to take a look at the owner’s manual before you buy, but until recently it was missing from the manufacturer’s website. For the record, last year when I emailed customer service with some questions, it only took them about 2 hours to respond. They provided answers on details and also sent me a copy of the owner’s manual.

Finally, the manual is now available online: See instruction manual here. It isn’t huge by any means, but it does give you a close-up look at the parts as well as a brief section with a cooking guide and tips.

Among all the questions and reviews on Amazon there are several complaints about defective or broken units. In every case I found, there was a response from the manufacturer requesting that the unhappy customer contact them. The fact that the company is monitoring online reviews*, and responding, seems to indicate they want their customers to be happy with purchases, and the company is being proactive in trying to address and resolve problems.

Note: As of 7/3/18 there is still ample evidence of the company monitoring online complaints and reaching out with offers to help resolve various issues.

Overall, most consumers are very satisfied with the results they get with this air fryer. You will find some complaints, but in many cases that may be due to mistakes by the user. Unless you’re already experienced at air frying, you should expect at least a small learning curve, but the manual provides a number of helpful tips. For instance, if your food is cooking unevenly, you may need to stop and shake or turn it halfway through the cooking process. You also may have overloaded the basket, and it may take a little trial and error to learn the difference between “full” and “too much”.

There is also now a very small recipe booklet available from GoWISE at Air Fryer Recipes Volume 1. Don’t get too excited because it only contains 14 recipes. However, it’s a nice variety of dishes – fries, sandwiches, meats, fish, desserts, appetizers – so that gives you a good guide to help you adapt your own ideas and recipes. You’ll also find extra tips in the “trouble shooting” section.

No matter which brand or model you choose, all of the recipe booklets provided by the manufacturers are quite small. For best results you really should invest in a good quality cookbook with tips and recipes especially for air fryers. For help see our Air Fryer Cookbook & Recipe Guide.

Size & Capacity

Like all airfryers, the GoWISE is a large appliance that makes a pretty big footprint. Of course it’s all about your priorities, but keep that in mind if you have very limited space or a tiny kitchen.

What’s Included with this GoWISE Air Fryer?

This model includes only the mesh basket, which you can see in the picture at right. The basket is suitable for air frying, roasting, and grilling. (All of these air fryers claim you can grill in them, but to my mind, that’s a very loose definition of “grilling”.)

If you plan to bake or cook liquid or semi-liquid foods, you’ll need to also buy the baking pan. For that see Optional Accessories (the very next section).

Rack, Skewers, Flat Pan

Other accessories available for purchase separately include the double layer rack with skewers, and pizza (flat) pan. In my experience these are not all the useful because they are awkward to use, especially the rack.

However, if you’re interested, check out this set to see the best price I’ve found:

Customer Reviews

As of this update (July, 2018), there are now well over 2,000 online reviews of the GoWISE, and complaints are still relatively few. The only legitimate problem I found were several reports that the non-stick coating started peeling off the basket of units that were still fairly new. This unit does have a one year warranty (1 year on the unit, 30 days on parts), so if you experience that or any other problems you should contact the manufacturer.

All of those complaints are in the Amazon customer reviews for this product. As mentioned before, GoWISE responded to every one of them with a request that the customer contact the company to give them a chance to respond.

Aside from that, a few other folks complain about poor results – foods that are burned or cooked unevenly or just didn’t taste good. Most hilarious is the one guy who said this is a good product for when you run out of oil. Well, you’ve got to figure that attitude will play a role in your satisfaction. No one claims you’ll get the exact same taste as when you deep fry in grease. What you do get is a taste that’s very close and much, much better for your health.

I’d compare it to pie crust. If you’re old enough, you can remember how absolutely wonderful your grandmother’s pie crusts used to be. You’ve tried every recipe and trick in the book, but yours is never as good as hers was. That’s because back in the day, Grandma was using real, old-fashioned, 100% lard. You can still buy that stuff, and you can make a crust every bit as delicious and as flaky as the old timey kind, but knowing what we know now, do you really want to eat that?

The people who get the best results are those who keep an open mind and also take time to read the instructions. Don’t expect perfection on your very first attempts, and do be willing to experiment a little.

Over 75% of consumers have given this airfryer 4 or 5 stars and are delighted with it. It’s easy to use, and it’s easier to clean than wiping up grease spatter all over your kitchen from deep frying. You’ll find plenty of reports of successful, tasty results with french fries or sweet potato fries, chicken pieces and chicken nuggets, fish sticks and tuna steaks and other types of fish, and yes, a few have even baked cakes.

The size can be a drawback, so you might want to look at those exterior dimensions again and get out your ruler. But then, all air fryers are big, and you may also end up using your GoWISE so often that it’s worth the counter space it takes up.

To my knowledge, none of the popular air fryer models are 100% made in America. That includes the GoWISE. Though that “USA” in the brand name might seem misleading, the fact is that this product is made in China and distributed in the U.S.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Much lower priced than leading brand

Many of the same features as pricier models

Easy operation and clean-up

Majority of users happy with cooking results

Most reports of customer service experiences are positive

Cons

Large, takes up a lot of room

No cookbook included, only a few recipes on GoWise website

Pan for baking or liquids & very soft foods costs extra

Some users complain of burnt, under-cooked, or unevenly cooked foods

GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Electric Air Fryer Review: Summary

While the GoWISE USA Air Fryer might not be the most well-known brand on the market, it’s a good product at a very reasonable price. Its design includes all the best features plus a cooking capacity similar to its major competitors. Complaints are rare, and consumer ratings have remained high over time. All things considered, the GoWISE is a great choice for bargain shoppers and anyone who wants to give air frying a try without making a big investment. Do your health a favor, and check it out today!

Comments

Thank you for your very informative review about airfryers. Is it possible to ask the power rating of 8-1 gowise airfryer? If the philips xl is 1800watts, what is the go wise? I’m trying to decide which one to buy. Thank you so much!

The wattage for this GoWise model is 1,500. I just confirmed that by phone with the company. If you have any other questions about the GoWise before you buy, the number for customer service is 1-855-233-9199. I must say they answered quickly, and I wasn’t put on hold. I’ve spoken with these folks before, and they are extremely nice.

I’m very glad to know you found this review helpful, and thanks so much for visiting the site!

My hubby bought me the GoWise Air Fryer for Christmas and I loved your review. I did get a GoWise recipe book with mine. Also he got the cake pan as well. Looking thru Pinterest for recipe ideas and find that most of them are for the Phillips. Wondering if there are any pitfalls to using those recipes? Also notice that they recommend not cooking extra greasy meat such as sausage but list hamburgers which can be greasy. Over all I am looking forward to trying it out.

It’s great to hear that you found this review helpful! Though I don’t know of specific pitfalls, air frying is a completely new cooking method for most people, so don’t be surprised if it takes a little experimenting to get the best results. Based on wattage alone, all these models are very close – the GoWISE is 1,500 Watts, and the Philips 9220/56 and Philips 9230/26 are both 1,425 watts. However, other factors can affect your cooking time too. No matter what recipe you use, there is a cookbook on Amazon with some good advice. You can read this for free:

When that window opens, it shows a preview of the book. On about page 4 you’ll find a “Frequently Asked Questions” section, and it includes some info about cooking times.

As for hamburgers, you’re certainly correct about how greasy they can be. For your air fryer (and for your health too!), the best choice would be the highest quality ground beef that has a very low fat content.

Thank you so much for visiting the site, and best of luck with your new air fryer!

All three of those models are available only from third party sellers, so before you order be sure to check details such as international shipping rates, delivery times, and the policies of the specific seller.

I hope that helps, and good luck with your search!

Susan

NOTE: To avoid any confusion please note that, as mentioned in the above review, this product is not made in the U.S.A. GoWISE USA products are designed in the U.S., but they are manufactured in China.

I’m sorry, but I’m not aware of a claim by Philips that their air fryers can steam or broil foods. If you’ll send me a link to where you found this information, I’ll be glad to check it out for you.

I wonder if there is some confusion about which appliance does what. In addition to air fryers, Philips also makes an electric multi-cooker that will indeed work as a steamer. It includes numerous other functions as well, such as slow cook, bake, and boil. This multi cooker can be used to fry foods, but only as a deep fat fryer using oil. If you want to check it out you can see it on Amazon here: Philips HD3095/87 Electric Multi-Cooker, Stainless Steel/White

Unfortunately I haven’t seen mention of any such plans from GoWISE. The Philips models are more expensive (than the GoWISE), but they do offer a double grill rack – it’s included with the HD9220/56 and it can be purchased separately for either the HD9230 or the Avance XL 9240.

Sorry, but that’s all I know at this point. Hopefully GoWISE will see enough demand for the double rack to offer it as an accessory in the future.

Susan

UPDATE: Rack is now available and above review has been updated with info and options.

I just bought the GoWise digital 4th generation model. I have been looking at cookbooks and websites but I can’t find a guide for time and temperature for simple foods, like frozen chicken fingers. I wanted a reference guide. I don’t know if I can trust the presets on the unit and doesn’t it depend on the amount you use too? We cooked two small beef fillets and guessed about time and temperature and kept checking the temperature of the meat. They turned out great but I still feel like I don’t have a starting point for most food. If you can help I would greatly appreciate it. Since it is similar to a convection oven maybe I could go by package direction and reduce the time and temperature slightly since a convection cooks faster on a lower temp.

I have seen a few such references in certain cookbooks, but frankly I don’t find them at all useful. Your point about amount of food is exactly right. Timing also depends on temperature of food, individual air fryers, and other factors. The best approach is doing exactly what you did, test and check often. It will also help you to get a good cookbook as it helps to learn by example. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Air frying isn’t difficult, and you’ll get a feel for it faster than you might think!

I am looking for this model with the metal mesh basket instead of a non-stick basket. The picture on your page shows a metal mesh basket. But the pictures on the Amazon link you provide show a non-stick basket.

Do you know if it is still possible to get a model with the metal mesh basket?

I don’t know for certain, and it may depend on where you buy it. I recommend that you ask the specific seller. To do that on Amazon, click on the link in the above review to go to the Amazon product page, and at the top of that page right under the price you will see “Ships from and sold by

Seller Name

“. The seller name will be a link. Click that, and you’ll go to the seller’s page where you can ask a question. To avoid confusion, I would be very clear with the seller. That is, if metal is a must for you, tell them you don’t want the fryer if you can only get the non-stick basket.

We have are quite happy with our Gowiae airfryer, but the small clear plastic clip that covers the detaching button has broken. It is a safety issue in that one could too easily place a thumb on top and spill the hot pan and contents. So far we consciously simply and carefully pull the pan out so as not to depress the button accidentally. Is there a replacement?

About The Healthy Kitchen Shop

I love delicious food! But sadly, so much of it is full of preservatives, pesticides, and who-knows-what-else. I deserve better, don't you!

My mission is to eat healthier, and I look for great products to help me out. That involves tons of research, and hopefully I can save you some time. My goal is to help you get all the information you need so that you can feel confident you'll be satisfied with the product you choose. You need details, and The Healthy Kitchen Shop's got 'em!

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